Aside from their very fashionable zebra stripes, many brands make shadow sticks that look like these , but I don’t recall one being dressed as well or one costing as much (they’re $50!).

Dat black and white zebra print, tho.

Sometimes I feel like putting an animal print on something is a gimmicky (albeit usually effective) way to make it seem better…

Sisley-Paris, a high-end skin care and makeup brand, promotes their use of plant-based ingredients (full list of ingredients down below, but note — not all of them look natural), and if the thought of spending $50 for a waterproof creamy eyeshadow stick seems crazier than Ryan Gosling showing up at your front door astride a unicorn while carrying a bouquet of peonies and a homemade Key lime pie, they hope that their ingredients are one reason it’s not.

Despite their extravagant price, I do think that these are gorgeous on the skin, and they’re pigmented, smooth and dramatic with a capital “D.”

Here are two of the eight available shades. The others are 1 Topaz, 3 Khaki, 4 Steel, 6 Marine, 7 Havana and 8 Black Diamond.

Sisley-Paris is a high end skin care and makeup brand (a la Chantecaille), and $50 for these is pretty typical of the line, but it still seems a little ridonkulous, doesn’t it?

Lip crayons with the texture of a balm, these are basically medium-coverage lipsticks with gloss-like shine and a highly moisturizing, plumping formula that’s very easy to wear.

Yup, they also contain plant-based plumping ingredients…although I’ve seen, like, no plumping action from them at all. But really, though, lip plumpers usually don’t do a lot of plumping for me. If I ever find a product that actually transforms my lips from stern piano teacher to billowy pillow, believe me, I will freaking let you know.

Overlooking the Everest-caliber price, I think these are almost flawless. The crème de la crème of twist-up tinted lip balms. Extremely moisturizing, smooth, easy to apply and available in a nice range of colors.

Wear time isn’t bad, either, for what they are. I get about two hours.

On top of everything else, the sassy zebra packaging does a lot for my soul (I love me some animal prints! — which I didn’t fully realize until this year).

I think these are a wonderful product, but it’s hard to justify $50 for what’s essentially a medium-coverage tinted lip balm. If they were around $17 instead, like the (or $9 for the Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Sticks), I could see these belonging in all of my friends’ purses.

This may be crazy (it probably is), but for some reason $50 for an indulgent Tom Ford lipstick seems totally sane to me, but $50 for a moderately pigmented tinted lip balm seems like a stretch.

Have you ever noticed that when you run out of a product, it’s like you run out of everything at the same time?

Like they’re all in cahoots, Toy Story-style.

“Hey, Benetint! It’s a go for tomorrow! We’re all running out at the same time!”

For me it seems to happen a lot with skin care. A few weeks ago everything I’d been using pretty consistently ran out at the same time, so I took it as a sign to get some new things. 🙂

These are three I took with me on my trip to Redding last weekend.

Redding… That place is dry and hot! It’s like a little slice of Death Valley, and it always does a number on my combo skin.

1. Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Instant Infusion Treatment Toner

Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Instant Infusion Treatment Toner

The hefty glass bottle isn’t travel friendly, but I had to bring this toner with me to Redding.

Stuff is great! It’s supposed to even out your skin tone and texture, and it’s hella moisturizing.

Plant extracts are all up near the top of the ingredient list, which is usually a good sign, and there are some interesting ingredients, too, like tea, blackberry leaf and lychee seed extracts, and hyaluronic acid to seal in moisture, along with the ubiquitous Vitamins C and E.

Morning and night, after I wash my face, I put a few drops on a cotton pad, and gently sweep it all over my mug.

I’ve been using it for about three weeks now, and I’m a fan. No breakouts so far (knock on wood!), and my skin just laps up the moisture.

I don’t have a ton of experience with the Fresh brand, but I really like the few things I’ve tried. Unfortunately they are pretty expensive.

A 4-ounce bottle of the Black Tea Toner is $48 and available now at Fresh boutiques and .